A Christmas wreath is a beautiful decoration to have throughout the holiday season, it perfectly captures the holiday spirit. We think the best wreaths are those that are entirely natural. They are easy to make, great to look at, plus you’ll be cutting costs from foraging materials.

Creating a natural wreath also gives you a chance to get out into nature to take in some beautiful surroundings you might not have seen before.

Producing sustainable and more environmentally friendly homemade décor adds to the feel-good factor of the festive season, plus it’s something everyone can get involved in, including kids! What’s not to love?

Our tips will help you create a beautiful wreath on a budget.

Items / materials you will need:

(Tip: be sure to use materials that won’t wilt or die quickly)

• Florist/garden wire
• 4-5 small branches of Willow or Soft hazel – for weaving the base (use with or without leaves)
• Small rubber bands
• Lots of greenery, e.g. conifers, ivy, eucalyptus, bay, rosemary, moss
• Decorations such as pinecones, cinnamon sticks, dried fruit like orange slices, berry sprigs
• Wire cutters or heavy-duty scissors

Foraging materials:

The first thing you’ll want to do is to gather your preferred flexible branches that you have found either in your garden or out in nature, we suggest using either willow or soft hazel, but it is completely up to you (just make sure they’re easy to bend and won’t break). See The Woodland Trust’s A-Z of British trees for guidance on choosing your branches and a guide to sustainable foraging.

Creating the wreath base:

Start by curling a stick around on itself – it might be wonky at first but don’t be concerned. Twist the end part of the stick in and out creating the circle you want; you can then reinforce the circle by adding more sticks, looping them in and out. This will create a strong base for your wreath.

Next, you want to start twisting a small cut of florist wire around the point the two sticks meet to hold the base in place. You’ll want to repeat this a further 4-5 times, in opposite directions to create a strong base.

Covering the wreath base:

Make numerous bunches of foliage to cover the wreath’s foundation. This could be dried flowers, dried fruits, berry sprigs or evergreens, whatever suits your style. Grab a few different pieces of each of these items and fasten them with a small rubber band. To make a wreath that looks fuller, you should make between 12 and 15 of these bunches.

Next, you’ll want to cut a length of wire as long as your arm, threading it through the base and twisting it as you go to secure it in place. This will help with wiring each of the bunches onto your wreath base. Place the bunches flat onto the wreath base and then twist the wire tightly around it, securing it in place, you’ll want to continue doing this to all the bunches whilst placing the bunches in areas that hide the rubber bands. If you’re using more delicate decorations such as cinnamon sticks or berry sprigs, you can just poke it into the base.

These are just a few suggestions for crafting beautiful wreaths, but once you master the fundamentals, the possibilities are almost limitless! Show us how you got on by tagging us on Instagram @wearestarthur